Hamburg / La Ciotat, 30 June 2016 – Blohm+Voss has announced today that it has won the tender for the set-up of a new maintenance and refit facility for megayachts in La Ciotat, in the South of France. The company will partner with “La Ciotat Shipyards” (managed by SEMIDEP-Ciotat), the local company in charge of the site development which is providing a large dry-dock and neighboring workshop premises embedded within the existing shipyard. Blohm+Voss will utilize this new facility in the heart of the Mediterranean to maintain and service megayachts over 80 meters in length. Operation is planned to start in November 2016.

Blohm+Voss Chief Executive Officer, Fred van Beers commented: »Setting up a maintenance facility for megayachts in La Ciotat is an important step in our current growth strategy. With our new office in Monaco and this central location in the Mediterranean we are moving our core business closer to our customers; we are now offering more flexibility and tailored life-cycle.services. The dock in La Ciotat is 200 meters long and 60 meters wide. Our customers now have the choice of utilizing our extensive shipyard facilities in Hamburg or our new base in La Ciotat for large yacht maintenance, refits or conversions. Whatever our customers require: we will provide our renowned, exceptionally high Blohm+Voss quality standards and on-time services at both sites.”

Jean-Yves Saussol, Managing Director of La Ciotat Shipyards explains: “We have chosen Blohm+Voss as our trusted partner due to the quality of their business plan, their extensive track-record, the financial strength of the company and its strong desire to work closely with the local community.” The services that Blohm+Voss will bring to La Ciotat complement the services currently offered by other companies on the yard. Blohm+Voss aims to utilize the existing synergy potential and will start talking to future partners on and around the shipyard within the next month.

“La Ciotat Shipyards and Blohm+Voss are the perfect match”, explained van Beers. “The location is ideal for us because it offers excellent facilities, highly-qualified local craftsmen and an extensive local supplier network for the megayacht industry. In return, we will bring additional business to the yard with our focus on the 80m+ sector and our reputation for undertaking complex refits on time and on budget. We look forward to cooperating closely with La Ciotat Shipyards and the local community to support them in developing a strong local foothold in La Ciotat as well as a worldwide reputation for the maintenance and refit of megayachts.”

Blohm+Voss is now taking the next steps to set up the operation. The company will appoint a competent, French-speaking management within the next few weeks to manage the roll-out, recruit local staff, partner with suppliers and prepare the facilities for upcoming projects. The operational business is scheduled to start by the end of 2016.